2008 Volkswagen Passat Reliability Review [ 2007 ]

#8

in Affordable Midsize Cars

Based on analysis of 63 Passat reviews and test drives.

MSRP: $23,990 - $38,000
Invoice: $22,359 - $35,556
MPG: 21 City / 29 Hwy
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U.S.News Scores
Overall:8.5
Performance:7.7
Exterior:7.4
Interior:7.9
Safety:8.6
Reliability:9.0

Reliability

The 2008 Volkswagen Passat reliability score of 9.0 out of 10 is the Predicted Reliability rating provided by J.D. Power and Associates. This score is based on trending the past three years of historical initial quality and dependability data from J.D. Power's automotive studies, specifically the Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) and the Initial Quality Study (IQS).

The Passat comes equipped with a basic warranty covering four years or 50,000 miles, and there is a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty as well.

Several reviewers raised questions concerning the reliability of the 2006 and 2007 Passat. "There's the troubling issue of reliability in some recent VW products," says MSN. "Reliability's the question mark," adds USA Today. "The previously Passat shows up as the very worse among family cars in Consumer Reports magazine's predicted reliability chart. The '06 is a new design. That can be good, or it can be otherwise."

 

J.D. Power Auto Customer Satisfaction J.D.Power Ratings

Initial Quality Ratings

These scores come from consumer ratings of their vehicles after the first few months of ownership.

Feature 2008 2007
Overall Quality - Mechanical
Powertrain Quality - Mechanical
Body & Interior Quality - Mechanical
Features & Accessories Quality - Mechanical
Overall Quality - Design
Powertrain Quality - Design
Body & Interior Quality - Design
Features & Accessories Quality - Design

Dependability Ratings

These scores come from consumer ratings of their vehicles after three years of ownership.

Feature 2004 2003
Overall Dependability
Powertrain Dependability
Feature & Accessory Dependability
Body & Interior Dependability

J.D. Power and Associates Power Circles Ratings do not include all information used to determine J.D. Power and Associates awards. See JDPower.com for more information on Power Circles Ratings. Since driving styles and conditions are unique to each owner, your experience may vary. Furthermore, any Power Circle Ratings based on historic data of past years studies may also reflect different results if current users were again measured.

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Review Last Updated: 7/10/08